Question Revisited

[BTO]

I came across this post, and thought I''d revive it here on the colored stones forum.

What do I need to know about sapphires as sidestones?

The question is asked: "Anybody else have an opinion on whether (quality) sapphire sidestones make a diamond look whiter or not? I''m still not 100% clear on this." No one really gave an opinion, so it made me curious myself...

I love warm/warm-er/warm-ish (however one may put it

) stones, and am actually thinking of having a J colored stone set with small sapphire sidestones. So I wonder how or if blue sapphire sidestones would effect the color appearance of a warmer colored stone?

I''ve some beautiful antique/antique replica settings with I-K stones that look fantastic with sapphires, but I wonder what the overall look would be in a more modern 3-stone setting...(It''s hard for me to judge on antique settings since warmer stones are common in antique jewelry I''m usually seeing the piece next to other older style pieces with warmer stones.)

That said, what do all the colored stone lovers out there think? How (if at all) do blue sapphire sidestones effect the color appearance of the center diamond? No effect, make the diamond appear whiter, or bring out the color in the diamond?

Opinions wanted!

Brandy

 

[winyan]

Hi Brandy...

I have a OEC somewhat largish diamond which is somewhere from a k to l color, set with both sapphires and diamonds sidestones that are bead set.

The matching band (both rings are Cartier wanna-be's) is also set with sapphires and diamonds and personally, I think they look wonderful.

I'd post a pic, if I had one!

win

 

[glitterata]

Come on, Win! Don't tease us! Take a picture and post it!

 

[winyan]

Glitterata, believe me I would, (along with all the rest of the pics I've been promising...

Just as soon as I find either:

The transformer that lets me plug my diggie cam in

or

The little gizmo that lets you take the memory card out of the diggie cam and download pics from there.

Yes, I know I'm totally disorganized, and a complete ditz, but, to be honest, that's just me.

It's in the dining room somewhere.......

(I think)

win

 

[valeria101]

----------------
On 2/3/2004 5:17:30 PM BTO wrote:



That said, what do all the colored stone lovers out there think? How (if at all) do blue sapphire sidestones effect the color appearance of the center diamond? No effect, make the diamond appear whiter, or bring out the color in the diamond?

Opinions wanted!
----------------

Glad you say "opinions wanted"... what you mention is a very subtle effect and for sure your personal opinion is what counts.

There is a rule on thumb applying here: "any contrast makes the bad look worse and the good look better". So, strong color saturation in side stones make the week color in the center fade further.

If pairing two colored stones, matching their saturation of color, regardless of tone and hue (darkness and shade, translated) is norm. So, if I had an orange sapphire with blue sides, the combination will certainly benefit both colors given the strong contrast (these are complementary colors on the color wheel). By extension, blue sides should bring out - by contrast - the yellow in a neighbor diamond. However, the difference of saturation is SO large (from the almost imperceptible in the diamond to the striking in sapphire) that this kind of contrast effect does not work at all. What you will see are blue reflections from the side stones through the center, and the saturation of color in the sapphires playing DOWN even further the faint saturation of color in the center stone. For example, a light yellow diamond (Y-Z) would look really petty near sapphires - even at that level of yellowness (and Y-Z is waaay more colored than J), diamond "color" would be completely overpowered by the sapphires.

For example, there is one common impression (so I hope, perceived by most) about the pairing of colored stones and diamonds: the saturated color of colored stones tends to overpower, to drive the eye away from the diamond when it does not get enough light to fire away, when the two stones are of comparable size. In consequence, colored side stones are on average smaller than diamond side stones would be. Of course, design variations and personal tastes often diverge form this norm as from any other. All foreign opinions can do is hint at what you might want to be looking for. I totally disbelieve that gems can be experienced vicariously, but chatting helps... I hope

 

[strmrdr]

make the diamond appear whiter in my opinion.

The contrast in color is much greater than against say a white band or another diamond this makes the diamond appear whiter.

While I see where val is going to me a gemstone/diamond ring should be about the whole package not just the diamond therefore Id be inclined to go with bigger gemstones sides than diamond sides with the understanding that under some light conditions they will down play the diamond a little.
They would still be smaller than the main diamond.

Actualy I like a sapphire or a ruby with diamond sides better than a diamond as the main stone but either way it beats a typical 3 diamond ring by a whole bunch.

just my 2c

 

[BTO]

Everyone,

Thanks for the responses! I love sapphires with diamonds and I'm sure I'll go that way regardless of the diamond color I ultimately choose. Whether it makes the diamond look whiter or yellowier is fine with me, it's the overall look that appeals to me. I agree, it's definitely a matter of personal preference, and wouldn't base my final decision on anything other than that. I was just curious what other people thought, soak up some feedback from all the friendly and knowledgeable colored stone fans out there

Thanks!
Brandy